


Not The End

by Cat2000



Category: Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27787936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000
Summary: Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the book Ysabel and I’m not making any money from this ficSummary: Set after the events of the book. Ned speaks to someone he didn’t expect to see again
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Not The End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Syksy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syksy/gifts).



> Warning(s): Spoilers for the book; AU; some references to violence

Ned was fairly sure that, when he finally returned to something like a normal life and they left this place, he would start to feel something like normal, even if he knew he’d never go back to the way things had been. At least they had Melanie back. And he had _some_ answers for why he had been pulled into this story. And perhaps he even had some idea about why he and his aunt had the abilities they did, as they were direct descendants from Ysabel. And perhaps he still didn’t know whether he was descended from Phelan or Cadell…but he figured that really didn’t matter now.

It was all over. They had Melanie back. His powers were coming under control and while he could probably just ignore them and they might fade away, he found that he didn’t _want_ to do that. He’d grown used to this whole new world that he’d stepped into. And even though it had been scary at times, it was still exciting.

That was probably why he was finding it so difficult to sleep now, even though all of the excitement was over and Phelan, Cadell and Ysabel were gone, to whatever waited for spirits after they finally moved on. It was over, but his powers were still there. He still knew how to shield himself. And he still knew how to reach out for those like his aunt, who were like him.

And it wasn’t something he could just sweep back under the rug and pretend didn’t exist.

Realising he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, at least not any time soon, Ned got out of bed. It was dark in his room and he didn’t see the need to turn on the light. After everything that had happened, stumbling around in the dark just didn’t seem that bad. So he headed down the corridor, walking down the stairs and headed into the main room.

There was no sign of Veracook or Veraclean, of course. Ned hadn’t expected _anyone_ to be awake as well. He got himself a glass of water and sat at the table, after turning on the light and blinking in the sudden brightness.

Sipping the water, Ned thought about the options his aunt had given him. He didn’t have to live with the powers that had been awakened within him. If he chose not to use them, he could just as easily let them wither away and die. But he didn’t think he would be able to do that. Now that this whole new world had been opened to him, he didn’t want to shove it all back into a box and pretend like it had never existed.

Ned drained the last of his water and paused.

Something was pulsing inside his mind. It was the same kind of ‘call’ he’d experienced when Cadell had summoned him. But it also felt different. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to explain it in words if anyone asked him to. It just _was_.

Leaving his glass where it was, Ned walked to the door and headed outside, skirting around the pool.

He wasn’t surprised to see the familiar figure of Phelan standing there. It was a little surprising to see that the man was translucent, though. Like he wasn’t truly there. But the more Ned thought about it, the more he thought it made sense. After all, Phelan no longer truly existed in Ned’s world.

Ned paused next to the man who had changed his life in such a strong, intense way and stared into the clear blue of the pool, lit up by the light from the moon and stars. At last, he broke the silence. “I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again.” He paused and, when Phelan didn’t respond, he added, “You changed my life.”

“If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else.” Phelan spoke finally, but his voice seemed to come from very far away. Like he was speaking from a great distance. “You would have found yourself caught up in _someone’s_ story, sooner or later.”

“I thought your story was ended now.”

Phelan’s smile was small, but still there. “If there’s one thing I have learned over the centuries, it’s that nothing truly ends.” He shrugged. “But it is true that we have moved on. I’m not even sure what I’m doing back here, except that perhaps it’s as simple as feeling responsible for you. Whether it’s me you’re descended from or not.”

“Are you here to give me some advice?”

“Do you _need_ advice from me?” Phelan asked. “You did very well finding Ysabel without any input from me or the Celt.”

“You’re still enemies, then?” Ned wasn’t sure at the note of disappointment that slipped into his voice. But what had he expected, really? That ending things permanently would change the enmity that had existed between them for more than a thousand years?

Phelan was silent for so long, Ned thought he wasn’t going to respond at all. When he did speak, it wasn’t what Ned had expected to hear. “We spent so long fighting over her, fighting each other and killing other people. Now that it’s all over, I don’t think either of us know _how_ to be anything other than enemies.”

“Why couldn’t you just have shared her?” Ned asked the question before he thought about it. He frowned and corrected his wording. “I know how important she was. How important she _is_. I saw the same thing both of you did.” He hesitated. “Was a truce _never_ possible?”

“You’ve seen her,” Phelan said. “During that time, sharing wouldn’t have been possible. One of us could never have stepped back.” He paused, his gaze following the same line as Ned’s. Looking into the water. “Things might be different now.”

“You mean now that the druid is no longer pushing.”

“It was never about just one druid,” Phelan replied. “But you’re right. Without the pressure, it has been easier. There has been time to get to know Ysabel and even Cadell without any outside influence.” He hesitated. “It’s not been so easy to exist apart from this world. Even when we weren’t _here_ , we knew that we’d eventually come back. _I_ knew that I’d be back here, no matter how much time had passed. Now, _now_ , I can only come here and speak to those like you who can hear me. I can’t influence the world any longer.”

“What’s it like?” Ned asked. “The place where the three of you are now?”

“If you want pretty words, you’d be better asking the Celt,” Phelan replied. “I can’t paint a picture with words for you. Only to say that it’s beyond _anything_ I’d ever seen or imagined before. It’s not the end of a story. Perhaps it’s even the beginning of a new one.”

“Is this the last time I’ll ever see you?” Ned asked.

A tiny smile touched Phelan’s lips, though he didn’t look towards Ned. “Would it disappoint you if I said yes?”

“My life’s changed because of you. Because I got caught up in your story.” Ned paused and took a deep breath. “I think I should be angry. That my life is no longer as safe as it once was. That if you hadn’t come to me, I would have remained ignorant of anything else.”

“There’s no point in thinking about what could have happened. And if it hadn’t been _my_ story now, it would have been another’s story later. Perhaps not even that much later.” This time, Phelan did look at Ned. “And perhaps then, that person wouldn’t have hesitated to kill children.”

“Do you think I should be grateful, then, that it was you?”

He shrugged. “Be thankful or not. But we have a connection now. If you want to see me again, then it will happen.”

“Then you think I should lean into my powers.”

The tiny smile grew into a wider one and Phelan asked, quietly, “Do you think you could do anything else? Now that you’ve awakened them?”

“Maybe not,” Ned admitted. He hesitated, noticing that Phelan’s form was growing even more translucent. He didn’t have long left with the man. “Are you happy?” he blurted.

Phelan hesitated. “I think I haven’t been happy in so long, I couldn’t recognise it when I am. But I will say that I’m content. I didn’t expect things to progress in this direction, but I’m not unhappy that they did.”

“Give her my love?” Ned asked, quickly.

Phelan smiled. He reached out, rested his hand on Ned’s shoulder, and then simply faded from view.

Ned stood there for several long moments, staring at the spot where Phelan had been standing. Strangely enough, he now felt bereft. But Phelan had said Ned would see him again if he wanted to and if he accepted his powers.

And that thought filled him with hope as he went back inside the house.

** The End **


End file.
